IN BURNHAM, Sunday at 8:02 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Garcelon Road.

IN CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Sunday at 11:17 a.m., theft or fraud was reported on Access Road.

IN CHINA, Friday at 4:06 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Tarybelu Lane.

IN CLINTON, Monday at 3:12 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Hill Road.

IN CORNVILLE, Sunday at 5:08 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Huff Road.

IN FAIRFIELD, Sunday at 12:43 a.m., breaking and entering was reported on Old County Road.

12:43 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on High Street.

1:04 a.m., disturbance was reported on Robinson Street.

11:40 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Ten Lots Road.

7:29 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Summit Street.

IN MADISON, Sunday at 10:19 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Edenway Lane.

Monday at 4:54 a.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Oak Street.

IN OAKLAND, Sunday at 11:42 a.m., suspicious activity was reported at the railroad tracks on Ten Lots Road.

IN PALMYRA, Sunday at 3:58 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Sunday at 3:31 p.m., a scam was reported on Jackson Street.

7:34 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Rosies Court.

11:15 p.m., an assault was reported on Madison Avenue.

Monday at 7:15 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Mount Pleasant Avenue.

7:33 a.m., a violation of bail or a protective order was reported on Family Circle.

8:25 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on East Dyer Street.

IN WATERVILLE, Sunday at 9:52 a.m., threatening was reported at Home Place Inn on College Avenue.

11:42 a.m., shoplifting was reported at Wal-Mart in Waterville Commons.

12:40 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on College Avenue.

1:27 p.m., an unwanted person was reported on Sturtevant Street.

2:29 p.m., a traffic hazard was reported on North Street.

3:43 p.m., threatening was reported on Gray Avenue.

4:24 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Columbia Road.

4:57 p.m., theft was reported on Oakland Street.

5:23 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

5:29 p.m., a disturbance was reported on The Concourse.

5:48 p.m., theft was reported at Colby College.

10:19 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on King Court.

Monday at 12:33 a.m., criminal mischief was reported on Western Avenue.

1:07 a.m., an assault was reported on Highwood Street.

5:06 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Industrial Road.

IN WINSLOW, Sunday at 9:59 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Cushman Road.

ARRESTS

IN KENNEBEC COUNTY, Saturday at 3:01 a.m., Timothy William Estabrook, 35, of Sidney, was arrested on a warrant.

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Friday, Davin T. Currie, 29, of Farmington, was arrested on a charge of violating a condition of release.

Saturday, Eric Gunther, 50, of Farmington, was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence.

Joel Thompson, 42, of Wilton, was arrested on charges of aggravated domestic assault, gross sexual assault and violating a condition of release.

Garrett Neal, 19, of Detroit, was arrested on charges of domestic violence assault and criminal mischief.

Iaian M. Stross-Perham, 35, of Farmington, was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence and without a license.

Sarah Carrozza, 32, of Industry, was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence.

IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Sunday at 1:57 a.m., Isaac Clarenceverett Whitney, 35, of Winslow, was arrested on a probation hold.

12:41 p.m., Robert Mann, 59, of Skowhegan, was arrested on a warrant on affidavit.

8:26 p.m., Sean William McLean, 32, of Fairfield, was arrested on three warrants for failing to appear.

Monday at 1:15 a.m., Francis W. Tansino, 26, of Palmyra, was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence and speeding more than 30 mph over the limit.

IN WATERVILLE, Monday at 1:46 a.m., Joamy Roldan, 20, of Waterville, was arrested on charges of violating a condition of release and domestic violence criminal mischief.

SUMMONSES

IN KENNEBEC COUNTY, Saturday at 2:38 a.m., Connor Brann, 18, of West Gardiner, was summonsed on a charge of operating under the influence.

2:38 a.m., Joseph Berglund, 18, of West Gardiner, was summonsed on a charge of a minor consuming liquor.

IN WATERVILLE, Sunday at 11:41 a.m., Tamara Marie Ingersoll, 22, of Augusta, was summonsed on a charge of operating a vehicle without a license.

WILTON — A Wilton man was charged over the weekend with sexual assault.

Joel Thompson, 42, of Weld Road in Wilton, was arrested Saturday on a charge of gross sexual assault, a Class A felony punishable by up to 30 years in jail and a fine of up to $50,000, after police arrived at the scene and investigated, said Wilton Police Chief Heidi Wilcox. Police got the call around 12:50 a.m. from Route 156, also known as Weld Road.

Thompson was also charged with aggravated assault, a Class B felony, over an allegation of strangulation, Wilcox said, and violating a condition of release, a Class E misdemeanor, as he was out on bail for a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence.

The alleged assault victim was taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington by Northstar ambulance. Wilcox said she didn’t know the severity of the reported injuries.

Thompson was taken to Franklin County Jail, where he was still being held Monday on bail.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour

PORTLAND — An attorney for Daniel L. Fortune, sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for a 2008 machete attack in Pittston that nearly killed a 10-year-old girl and her father, asked Monday for another chance at an appeal in the case.

Attorney Rory A. McNamara asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court for clarification of an April 19, 2016, order from a superior court judge about ineffective assistance of a prior attorney who represented Fortune in an appeal.

McNamara told the seven supreme court justices, “We should stop guessing and just send it back on remand.”

McNamara’s written brief says the order “is so unclear as to necessitate remand. … Any appeal on the merits of the court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction review must wait until the post-conviction court issues a new order clearly and properly applying the applicable legal standards for evaluating claims of ineffective assistance of counsel.”

Chief Justice Leigh Saufley framed the question on Monday, telling McNamara, “Right now we’re trying to determine whether counsel’s actions were deficient and had an effect.”

The justices issue rulings in writing sometimes months after oral arguments.

Fortune, now 29, formerly of Augusta and Gardiner, and his foster brother Leo R. Hylton were convicted of invading the home of William Guerrette, a former state legislator, and his family and attacking them, leaving the father and the daughter fighting for their lives and prompting the mother to scramble out a bathroom window, leap 20 feet to the ground and flee barefoot through the woods to a neighbor’s for help.

Fortune, who had been a star athlete at Gardiner Area High School, had been a friend of the Guerrette family and occasionally spent the night at their home, at one point stealing a safe from the home that contained thousands of dollars in cash and valuable coins.

Hylton pleaded guilty to a number of charges related to the May 27, 2008, attack on the family and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Fortune was convicted by a jury in Somerset County in May 2010.

On Monday, Associate Justice Ellen Gorman revisited Hylton’s testimony at Fortune’s trial, where Hylton said he could remember little about the night of the home invasion.

Gorman noted that Hylton admitted on the witness stand that a letter of apology to the Guerrettes was in his handwriting.

At Fortune’s trial, a court reporter read to jurors what Hylton said at his sentencing hearing. Hylton put the blame on Fortune and apologized for his role in the home invasion, saying he should have stopped Fortune, a man he viewed as his older brother.

In a videotaped re-enactment, Hylton led investigators through the Guerrette home to show how he swung a machete at Guerrette’s neck after the man pointed a handgun at him, and then described how he ascended a stairway to begin attacking Nicole to eliminate witnesses.

Fortune, who testified he hurt no one, received concurrent life sentences on three aggravated attempted murder convictions and shorter prison terms on a series of burglary, robbery and conspiracy charges.

In December 2011, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued a unanimous ruling upholding Fortune’s conviction and the concurrent life sentences.

In that appeal, Fortune maintained the life sentences were excessive and disproportionate to the crimes.

Fortune’s case was the first time the state’s harshest penalty — life in prison — was imposed for a crime that its victims survived. Judges must abide by strict guidelines set by the state supreme court to impose a life sentence.

Maeghan Maloney, district attorney in Kennebec and Somerset counties, who argued for the state on Monday, maintains the post-conviction review and the appellate processes were done properly.

She asked that the Maine Supreme Judicial Court dismiss the petition.

In allowing Fortune’s post-conviction appeal to proceed, Justice Donald Marden wrote in December 2015 that an attorney representing him in an earlier appeal was ineffective by failing to contend that the entire statement by Hylton at Hylton’s sentencing hearing should have been introduced at Fortune’s trial.

However, Marden said he was “not satisfied that the exclusion” of all of Hylton’s remarks at his sentencing hearing would have changed the verdict in the Fortune case.

Saufley read aloud the part of Marden’s decision which says Fortune is entitled to an appeal on the issue of inadequate appellate representation.

“For a jurist, that is a very clear phrase,” Saufley said.

Maloney responded, “Ultimately how can attorney (Arnold) Clark be found to be ineffective for not raising an appellate issue … he knew he was going to lose?”

In Maloney’s brief, she said, “Even if there was error by the appellate counsel in failing to bring the Confrontation Clause claim, the deficient performance did not prejudice the defense, and therefore the result was not unreliable.”

The Confrontation Clause issue involves the admission of out-of-court statements and the right of defendants to question witnesses who testify against them.

She noted that Hylton testified at Fortune’s trial; however, Hylton said he did not remember a number of things from the night of the attack.

He repeatedly said, “I do not recall” to the prosecutor’s questions about clothing, weapons and his prior statements to investigators.

Hylton is at the Maine State Prison. His earliest release date is listed as May 26, 2052, on the state Department of Corrections website.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

A Skowhegan man receiving mental health treatment who was charged with threatening and terrorizing in a local case last month was arrested Sunday on similar charges from the Augusta area.

Robert Mann, 59, remained Monday at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison, awaiting transport to the Kennebec County jail in Augusta, according to Maj. Cory Swope, administrator at the Somerset jail in East Madison.

A jail intake officer said Mann was being held on a warrant based on an affidavit charging him with assault and terrorizing. Lt. Chris Read at the Augusta Police Department said there was an approved warrant dated Jan. 31 for Mann’s arrest, but he did not have details of the incident for which Mann is to be charged.

Augusta police Officer Seth Johnson, who handled the Mann case, was not working Monday and was unavailable for comment.

Mann, a resident of Wilson Place, a private rehabilitation facility in Skowhegan specializing in mental health treatment operated by Kennebec Behavioral Health, was charged Jan. 24 with threatening a case worker. Mann was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and terrorizing with a dangerous weapon and was later freed on bail.

In the Skowhegan case, Mann allegedly told a female case worker that he fantasized about her and threatened to use a knife against her, though no weapon was shown. There was no assault, but the woman was left in fear of bodily injury, and there were knives in Mann’s apartment, according to the documents.

Skowhegan police said Mann had been intoxicated at the time. He was released on $500 unsecured bond, meaning he did not have to come up with the money but would be forced to pay that amount if he did not show up in court.

The day after his arrest, Mann, contacted in person by a reporter outside Wilson Place on Mount Pleasant Avenue in Skowhegan, denied that he had been intoxicated and said that his medications had been mixed up, which caused him to act the way he did.

There were no details available Monday about the new charges in Augusta. District Attorney Maeghan Maloney did not immediately return calls and emails about the case.

A jail intake officer in Augusta said Monday morning that Mann had not yet arrived at the Kennebec County jail. He said the last time Mann was at that facility was in August. Mann was ordered to serve a seven-day jail sentence in August on a conviction for endangering the welfare of a child Feb. 3, 2016, in Gardiner.

In December 2015, Mann, then of Winthrop, was given a 24-hour jail sentence for violating a protection from abuse order Dec. 6, 2015, in Winthrop, according to court records.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

An Augusta woman who stole mail containing checks, cash and gift cards while she worked as a highway contract court carrier for the U.S. Postal Service was sentenced Monday to three years of federal probation.

Julie K. Meek had admitted the theft of mail on Sept. 29, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Bangor and waived indictment.

On Monday, along with the probation, she was fined $1,000 for the offense and ordered to pay $1,135.19 restitution.

Court documents show she had received the judge’s permission to prepay the restitution prior to her sentencing hearing.

Between December 2015 and April 2016, Meek stole 15 envelopes which had been placed in a rural mail box or collection box in Orono, according to the government’s version of events.

The court document says one sender in particular would testify that she deposited a birthday card and a $50 prepaid gift card in a Stillwater Avenue collection box on March 23, 2016, to be delivered to her son, but he never received it.

Investigators learned that gift card was used several days later at a gas station, fast food restaurant and an Orono convenience store by a customer in a green Chevrolet Trailblazer registered to Meek.

The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Moore, wrote that Meek identified herself to Orono police as a postal employee and said she had taken the mail.

Meek handed over to authorities several pieces of the stolen mail, which she had kept in her car and in her home.

Meek was represented by attorney James S. Nixon.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

AUGUSTA

Monday at 8:57 a.m., counterfeiting was reported on Sewall Street.

9:57 a.m., indecency was reported on Cony Circle.

11:33 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Washington Street.

2:20 p.m., a 31-year-old Augusta man was summoned on three charges of dogs at large.

2:45 p.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Noyes Court.

6:43 p.m., a past burglary was reported on New England Road.

7:08 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Western Avenue.

8:24 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Bangor Street.

Tuesday at 12:34 a.m., a 48-year-old Augusta woman was summoned on a charge of attaching false plates.

GARDINER

Monday at 11:18 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Winter Street.

11:42 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Neal Street.

PITTSTON

Monday at 7:02 p.m., an East Pittston Road caller reported being harassed.

VASSALBORO

Tuesday at 2:33 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

AUGUSTA — Kristopher Russ will spend 15 years behind bars for beating a 79-year-old city man on the head last year with a cast iron frying pan after the victim interrupted Russ in the act of burglarizing his home.

In addition, Russ, now 34, will serve a consecutive three years in prison for trafficking in prison contraband — heroin — and for theft of two vacuum cleaners and a number of pairs of sneakers from Kohl’s in Augusta several days before the burglary.

The full sentence imposed by Justice William Stokes is 23 years in prison, with 18 to be served initially followed by four years of probation, while the remainder is suspended.

At a hearing Monday morning at the Capital Judicial Center, Russ pleaded guilty to a series of crimes, the most serious of which was the robbery and elevated aggravated assault at the home of James Young, who retired from the Augusta Fire Department in 1979 as a battalion chief.

Russ, who has addresses in Livermore and Augusta, broke into Young’s Augusta home on March 14, 2016, to steal money and items to sell to support his heroin habit. Young returned home from a visit to the veterans hospital at Togus and found a man standing in his bedroom, holding a cast iron frying pan.

Young told Augusta police the man said, “I’m going to hit you,” and then began striking Young in the head with the frying pan, knocking him down, before finally leaving with jewelry as well as Young’s wallet and his checkbook.

In a statement submitted at the hearing, Young asked the judge to give Russ 20 years behind bars. Young said in addition to physical injuries, he had suffered emotionally and now keeps a loaded handgun in his home. He said he has to visit family members elsewhere because they won’t come to his home, afraid he will shoot them.

Young said he believed he was attacked because Russ did not want any witnesses to the crime.

“I’m the only one that could identify him,” Young wrote.

Young’s daughter, Tracy Young Carolin, wrote to the court, “No person, let alone an 80-year-old man or woman, should ever have to worry about being safe in their own home.”

She asked that the maximum sentence be imposed.

“Kristopher Russ broke my dad’s shoulder, his hand and several fingers,” she wrote. “He beat my dad violently in the head with the cast iron frying pan and did not stop until my dad told him he had money.”

The suspect was identified as Russ when he attempted to cash one of Young’s checks the next day at a bank where the teller knew Young.

In a letter to Young, Russ apologized for his actions, saying, “I want you to know that I live every day with true regret for my actions.”

Russ told police at the time, “I think I was just feeling desperate. I was on the run. I had no money. I was sad. My wife was at home.”

Russ said he had picked up the frying pan from Young’s kitchen because Russ’ wife had mentioned a couple days earlier that she wanted one.

In a sentencing memo, Sherry Tash, the attorney representing Russ, said, “He was extremely under the influence of drugs, especially during his assault on Mr. Young.”

She said Russ wanted money and items to sell so he could stay high.

Tash added that an indication of Russ’ desperation is seen in a video in a police interview room while the police leave him alone briefly. Russ uses a lighter to burn a small plastic bag and then pours out a powdery substance onto a table and snorts it as officers rush back in.

Kennebec County jail officers also found heroin on Russ while he was being held at the jail on March 17, 2016. Russ pleaded guilty to trafficking in prison contraband for that and to charges related to making phone calls in June 2016 for another inmate to a person that inmate was forbidden to contact.

Tash listed Russ’ criminal history, noting he spent four years at the Maine Youth Center from age 14 to age 18 after pleading guilty to inappropriate sexual contact — a crime Tash says Russ insists he did not commit.

Russ previously did four-year prison stretches on drug convictions for drugs, and was released most recently in 2015.

On Monday, Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said she was pleased with the length of imprisonment for Russ.

“It recognizes that the court saw the same thing my office saw: a person who represents a significant threat to the community. It is clear from Mr. Russ’ criminal record of 39 burglary and theft convictions that he was going to continue to engage in this activity and his conduct was becoming more violent. The victim of the robbery is lucky to be alive.”

Maloney also praised the Augusta Police Department for locating Russ and getting a confession.

“The victim was 79 years old at the time,” she said. “He suffered a broken shoulder and multiple blows to the head, but the worst thing taken from him was the feeling of safety in his own home. I don’t think Mr. Russ appreciates the devastation he has caused.”

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

A Troy woman initially charged with murder in connection with the death of her infant son in January instead has been indicted by a Waldo County grand jury on a lesser charge of manslaughter.

“Miranda was indicted by a grand jury today on charges of manslaughter only,” attorney Laura Shaw McDonald, one of her court appointed lawyers, said Tuesday. “Miranda is not guilty of manslaughter, just as she is not guilty of murder.”

Bail was set by a judge at $5,000 cash or $50,000 worth of real estate. Hopkins was set to be able to post bail later Tuesday. “We expect to see her at our office as soon as tonight,” Shaw said Tuesday afternoon. “Miranda and her family are elated that she will be getting out even sooner than anticipated. We are looking forward to seeing her tonight and to continue working with her on her case.”

An indictment is not a finding of guilt but is a determination by the grand jury that there’s enough evidence in a case to proceed with trial.

Hopkins, 32, originally was charged with knowing or depraved indifference murder, punishable by 25 years to life in prison, related to the death Jan. 12 of 7-week-old Jaxson Hopkins. Manslaughter is a class A felony, as is a charge of murder, but it carries a lesser penalty. It’s punishable by a period of time in prison not to exceed 30 years.

Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea, who is prosecuting the case, on Tuesday would say only that the “grand jury indicted on (a) charge they deemed appropriate,” declining to comment further.

In a court affidavit, the baby’s cause of death is listed as blunt force head injuries that included cuts and bruises on the head and skull, rib fractures, and bleeding on the surface of the brain.

Hopkins allegedly told authorities she had awakened to find her baby cold, white and “beat to hell.” The infant, who was born Nov. 21, was pronounced dead at the scene. Hopkins lived with Jaxson and two other sons, ages 6 and 8, who are both autistic, she told police. Those boys are now with relatives.

In interviews with police, Hopkins allegedly said the older boy possibly crawled into bed and crushed or suffocated the baby.

But Hopkins allegedly also told police she must have “blacked out” and was “so drunk that she did not remember,” saying she had drunk whiskey and ingested the antihistamine drug Benadryl, according to a police affidavit filed with the court.

Hopkins was arrested by Maine State Police on Jan. 13 at her mobile home at 211 North Dixmont Road in Troy. Police allege the infant had died the previous day.

Under state law, in a manslaughter case, a person is charged with “recklessly, or with criminal negligence, (causing) the death of another human being” or with intentionally or knowingly causing the death “under circumstances that do not constitute murder because the person causes the death while under the influence of extreme anger or extreme fear brought about by adequate provocation.”

Shaw said the grand jury found no evidence of murder and is confident that Hopkins will be cleared of all charges in the death of her baby.

“The result clearly showed that the grand jury found no support whatsoever for the state’s claim that Miranda murdered her baby,” Shaw said. “The grand jury decided to indict her on manslaughter charges but she is not guilty of manslaughter, either. Although the charge has changed from murder to manslaughter, she maintains her innocence.”

Shaw said bail will be arraigned and Hopkins will be released from Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. She said Hopkins will stay with family members, but added that she is uncertain whether or when Hopkins will be reunited with her two other children.

Hopkins had been ordered held without bail, as is customary for a murder charge in Maine. She did not enter a plea Jan. 17 during her initial appearance in court.

A bail hearing, called a Harnish hearing, had been set for Jan. 23 in Belfast District Court; but her court-appointed defense attorney, Christopher MacLean, filed a motion to postpone the hearing to give them more time to mount a defense. A Harnish hearing is a process in which prosecutors seek to have a judge deny bail to a defendant accused of one of a handful of serious crimes, murder being one of them.

On Tuesday, Shaw, MacLean’s associate, said a Harnish hearing was no longer necessary because the murder charge was changed to manslaughter.

Under Maine law, after being arrested, defendants have an automatic right to have bail set, Shaw said. But when a defendant is charged with murder, the state can ask for a Harnish hearing to have that automatic right to bail taken away.

“Because Miranda was indicted for manslaughter, but not murder, she is now automatically entitled to bail,” Shaw said.

According to her Facebook page, Hopkins attended Mount View High School in Thorndike and is a single mother. Last March, she posted a notice about developing a Facebook group for people “personally affected by a Special Needs child” that would be a “judgment free safe zone.”

Shaw said Hopkins’ arraignment on the manslaughter charge tentatively is scheduled for Feb. 27.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

AUGUSTA — A man serving 30 years for arson for burning down the Grandview Topless Coffee Shop in June 2009 in Vassalboro has lost another bid to get a new trial.

Raymond Bellavance Jr., 55, sought relief through a post-conviction review process, but a judge denied it in a ruling filed last week in Kennebec County Superior Court.

“The court finds no evidence that petitioner did not receive the benefit of a fair trial,” Justice Donald Marden wrote in the decision.

According to the Maine Department of Corrections website, Bellavance is at the Maine State Prison, and his earliest release date is February 2034.

Bellavance was convicted of the arson after a 10-day jury trial that ended on Dec. 30, 2011, in Augusta.

The early morning fire was spotted by an ambulance crew passing by on Route 3, who called 911 and alerted the seven people — two of them infants — living in the building, which was a former motel.

Bellavance fled the state after he was charged in the arson in April 2010, but was extradited back to Maine and spent 20 months in jail awaiting trial.

The topless coffee shop, owned by Donald Crabtree, had attracted national media attention even before the blaze, and it created a domino effect of several communities passing local rules about sexually oriented businesses.

The prosecutor at trial, Alan Kelley, maintained that Bellavance had set the blaze because he was angry and jealous about his sometime-girlfriend Krista MacIntyre continuing to work as a waitress there over his objections.

At the trial, Bellavance denied setting the blaze and testified that he was not jealous, calling the state’s theory “outrageous.”

In April 2013, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court denied Bellavance’s appeal for an overturning of his conviction.

In the post-conviction review, Bellavance, who was represented by attorney Verne Paradie Jr. and Patrick Nickerson, claimed that his defense counsel, Andrews Campbell, had made mistakes at trial. One of the claims involved testimony of Thomas Mulkern, who was listed as a defense witness, but instead testified for the prosecution, telling jurors that he was with Bellavance and helped carry gas cans to ignite the blaze. In exchange for testifying truthfully at trial, the state promised Mulkern immunity from prosecution.

Justice Donald Marden’s order addressed that claim, saying “the court is satisfied trial counsel diligently pursued his objections to the presentation of Mulkern as a witness under the circumstances and was effective in his preservation of the issue for presentation to the appellate tribunal.”

In July 2016, Bellavance again took the witness stand, saying that the state’s fire investigator had fed details about the blaze to Mulkern, and that transcripts of recorded interviews between the two would support his point.

He also noted the problems with attorneys being able to hear everything at the trail, which took place in the large courtroom on the second floor of the Kennebec County Courthouse.

Bellavance said time-stamped phone records of the Vassalboro Fire Department about that night would support his alibi that he was actually in Augusta when the fire started.

He also said a video that turned up later in a case in Wiscasset would have shown the jury that he testified truthfully when he said he had assaulted fellow inmate Kristopher Russ after that inmate had come into Bellavance’s cell and spit on him at Two Bridges Jail.

“I didn’t attack him for ratting on me,” Bellavance said, contradicting trial testimony from a jail guard. “The jury would have seen that I was credible and that in fact I wasn’t lying.”

Bellavance said Campbell should have had DNA tests done on four items, including a beer can, a lighter and a bandanna located near the fire scene.

“They would have exonerated me,” he said.

He also said Campbell had failed to call as a witness a fire investigator hired by the defense.

Campbell testified at the post-conviction review hearing in July 2016 that he opted against it after the investigator indicated he could not refute the conclusions offered by the state investigator.

District Attorney Maeghan Maloney argued that Bellavance’s conviction should stand.

Marden said many of Bellavance’s concerns relate to Campbell’s conduct, and noted that the trial judge added a second attorney, Pamela Ames, to help defend Bellavance in the lengthy, complicated case.

“The court finds no evidence that either Mr. Campbell or Ms. Ames displayed serious incompetency, inefficiency or inattention,” he ruled.

Marden wrote, “It must be noted that the admissible evidence against Mr. Bellavance in this trial was overwhelming. He had a grudge against the owner of the coffee shop over an employee with which Bellavance had a romantic interest, including some previous confrontations.

“He had made threats against the owner … orally expressed an intention to ‘burn the (expletive) place down.'”

Marden also noted that Bellavance and Mulkern were seen by Bellavance’s relatives in the vicinity after the fire was reported.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

IN ANSON, Tuesday at 3:02 a.m., loud noise or music was reported on Valley Road.

IN BENTON, Monday at 4:02 p.m., identity theft was reported on Booker Avenue.

IN CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Monday at 11:18 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Grand Summit Lane.

IN COPLIN PLANTATION, Monday at 8:03 p.m., a structure fire was reported on Porcupine Trail.

IN FAIRFIELD, Tuesday at 8 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

IN FARMINGTON, Monday at 7:04 a.m., a road hazard was reported on Weeks Mills Road.

7:33 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Durrell Drive.

12:24 p.m., theft or fraud was reported at Olympia Sports.

7:42 p.m., a smoke investigation was conducted on Orchard Street.

IN HARTLAND, Monday at 5:29 p.m., a harassment complaint was taken on Commercial Street.

6:43 p.m., a chimney fire was reported on Pleasant Street.

IN MADISON, Tuesday at 3:32 a.m., theft was reported on East Madison Road.

IN MOUNT VERNON, Monday at 4:42 p.m., a chimney fire was reported on North Road.

IN OAKLAND, Monday at 3:37 p.m., a city ordinance violation was reported on First Park Drive.

3:45 p.m., theft was reported to the Police Department.

IN PALMYRA, Tuesday at 3:07 a.m., structure fire was reported on Square Road. The fire engulfed an apartment building and killed two people, authorities said.

IN PITTSFIELD, Monday at 9:13 a.m., a scam was reported on Hamilton Terrace.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Monday at 10:27 a.m., theft was reported on Water Street.

1:04 p.m., threatening was reported on Water Street.

1:48 p.m., a harassment complaint was taken on Pennell Street.

2:27 p.m., debris or dumping was reported on Oak Pond Road.

IN SMITHFIELD, Monday at 4:17 p.m., a scam was reported on East Pond Road.

IN VASSALBORO, Tuesday at 2:33 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

IN WATERVILLE, Monday at 9:21 a.m., a drug offense was reported in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Waterville Commons.

11:02 a.m., a city ordinance violation was reported on at Waterville Public Works and Parks and Recreation on Wentworth Court.

11:04 a.m., theft was reported at TJ’s Classic Billiards.

11:07 a.m., a domestic dispute was reported on Crestwood Drive.

11:44 a.m., fraud or forgery was reported at Wal-Mart in Waterville Commons.

4:30 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Broad Street.

5:35 p.m., theft was reported at The Big Apple store on Main Street.

5:41 p.m., an assault was reported at Community Housing of Maine on Silver Street.

6:52 p.m., theft was reported at Dollar Tree in The Concourse.

9:26 p.m., harassment was reported on Front Street.

10:27 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Crestwood Drive.

11:24 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on John Avenue.

Tuesday at 1:39 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Elm Street.

3:20 a.m., a noise complaint was taken on Summer Street.

IN WILTON, Monday at 3:47 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Pleasant Street.

10:18 a.m., theft or fraud was reported on Main Street.

IN WINSLOW, Monday at 7:07 a.m., a traffic hazard was reported on South Pond Road near China Road.

9:42 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Whipple Street.

ARRESTS

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Monday at 9:30 a.m., Shawna M. Towers, 29, of Skowhegan, was arrested on a warrant.

IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Monday at 8:51 a.m., Robert A. Lombardi, 47, of Skowhegan, was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

12:18 p.m., Tina May Stadig, 30, of Skowhegan, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence criminal threatening.

10:58 p.m., Georgia Marie Harmon, 21, of Fairfield, was arrested on a warrant for unpaid fines.

IN WATERVILLE, Monday at 12:48 p.m., Jujay Emilio Santiago, 18, of Portland, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear.

IN WINSLOW, Monday at 2 p.m., George Clifton Bronn, 38, of Whitefield, was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle with a suspended license, possession of a suspended license, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

Crystal Lynn Taylor, 31, of Chelsea, was arrested on a probation hold.

SUMMONSES

IN WINSLOW, Monday at 9:49 a.m., Selena Mae Liebowitz, 21, of Winslow, was summoned on charges of operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license and violating a condition of release.

AUGUSTA — Superintendent James Anastasio presented a budget to the school board Monday that is about $740,000 less than the current year’s budget but would require about $600,000 more from local taxpayers.

Last year’s $29.6 million school budget used $3.5 million from the district’s fund balance account to lessen the budget’s effect on taxpayers. The account had reached more than $5 million and is generally made up of money unspent in prior years.

Anastasio’s proposed budget for next school year uses $2.1 million from that account, which essentially would use up the remaining money, leaving little to help offset the effect of the following year’s budget on local taxpayers. In recent years, school officials have warned the district was nearing a financial “cliff,” meaning most of the fund balance would be gone, leaving schools with only two realistic options — increase revenue, including local property taxes; or decrease expenses, such as by cutting programs or employees.

“The cliff that has been predicted is here,” Anastasio said. “We’ll face the cliff this year, and next year we’ll face a much bigger cliff. There will be some difficult decisions that have to be made this year.”

The proposed budget of $28.9 million is down about 2.5 percent from the current year’s budget. But with less money coming from fund balance, it would require about $600,000 more from local property taxpayers.

One area where spending is up is English language learning, for students from other countries for whom English is not their native language.

Anastasio said Augusta started the year with about 90 students needing help learning English, but that number has increased since then to 136. He said many of the newer students “are at the lowest level in terms of their knowledge of English. It’s a language they don’t speak. So it can take a lot of time … for them to make the gains they need to be productive students in our school district.”

New spending in the budget proposal includes $95,000 to hire two new English language learner teachers, $97,000 to hire four new English language learner education technicians, and $24,000 to hire an interpreter.

Proposed cuts in the budget include three elementary school, teachers as the district plans to adjust which school students attend, to balance class sizes better, saving about $110,000; elimination of one of two nursing positions at Cony High School, saving $71,000; elimination of Project Pride at Farrington and Gilbert elementary schools, which both also have dean of students positions, saving about $82,000; eliminating a computer laboratory technician’s job, saving $53,000; and cutting one of two security guard positions at Cony, saving $27,000.

The school budget is in the school board’s hands now, and members will review it over the next several weeks.

The school budget, according to the Augusta City Charter, is subject to approval first by the school board, and then sent to the City Council, which includes it with the overall city and school budget, by April 1. City councilors can, and often do, ask that changes by made to the budget. And they must approve the school budget as part of the total budget. Finally, the school budget goes to city voters in a referendum to be validated, usually in June.

Anastasio said the revenue in the budget, such as state school funding, are only estimates, and it is difficult to put together a budget because there are so many unknowns. He said Gov. Paul LePage is seeking to change some aspects of state funding, with his state budget proposal, and changes can and often are made to state funding levels by the Legislature.

One proposed change to education funding in LePage’s budget, according to Anastasio, would eliminate state funding for school central office functions, such as the superintendent and business manager. He said the state pays $524,000 to help fund Augusta’s central office, so if that proposal remains in the state budget, that could be an additional cut in state funding. For now, however, that’s among the unknowns.

“We start our budget process earlier than any other place I know of, because of the requirement to submit a budget to the city by the end of March,” Anastasio said. “It makes it difficult because we don’t really have the information we need.”

Keith Edwards — 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @kedwardskj

An Augusta resident was arrested and charged with drug-related offenses Tuesday morning in connection with the seizure of 81 grams of heroin and about $7,800 in cash, according to a news release from the Augusta Police Department.

Brandon Darveau, 24, was charged with aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs and criminal forfeiture of property, and he was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, Deputy Chief Jared Mills said.

According to an affidavit, an Augusta Police Department detective was called to a residence at 51 School St. to assist with a probation check of Lindsay Fortin, 28. During an initial search of the residence, officers found syringes in a bedroom and spoon with residue in the bathroom.

Darveau consented to a search of his room, property and person, according to the affidavit. When a detective searched his room, they found a backpack on the bed containing a large amount of money. Darveau told the officers the money was his and was a payment from his father for shoveling and plowing snow.

A police dog assisted with the remainder of the search and located a clear plastic bag containing a powder that tested positive for heroin. Darveau admitted the heroin was his, the affidavit stated.

Darveau claimed he recently began renting a room in Fortin’s residence, which she shared with her boyfriend.

Fortin, 28, was charged with a violation of her probation.

AUGUSTA — An Auburn woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of escape for running off from a jail work detail last spring.

Nicole M. Dyment, 20, who has a history of stealing vehicles, had been working on a landscaping project on April 17, 2016, just outside the jail, as part of her participation in the Criminogenic Addiction Recovery Academy.

Dyment entered her plea at the Capital Judicial Center and was sentenced to nine months in jail, and she was given credit for the nine months she already had served.

Her attorney, David Geller, noted that Dyment tried to plead guilty in December, but the proceeding was stopped when there were concerns about whether she was mentally competent to enter a plea.

She was evaluated by the State Forensic Service and determined to be competent.

On Tuesday, Justice William Stokes asked Dyment a series of questions, repeating a number of them, to ensure she understood what she was doing.

Dyment said she was taking medication that slowed her response time, but she understood the proceedings.

Geller said Dyment appeared to understand much better than she had at the December hearing.

Assistant District Attorney Tyler LeClair told the judge the offense was committed when Dyment and 11 other women were doing yard work and Dyment did not want to continue.

He said she was yelling and swearing and started to run off.

Sgt. Joel Eldridge, of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, yelled at her to stop and eventually caught her.

Dyment, previously of Auburn, had been put into the Kennebec County program as a result of a deferred disposition arrangement to resolve charges brought against her in southern Maine.

David Bobrow, the attorney who represented her at a hearing in Springvale District Court, said Dyment pleaded guilty to two sets of misdemeanor charges, and the sentencing was continued on those matters, with conditions that permitted a bed-to-bed transfer into the CARA program.

Dyment had been charged with stealing a vehicle in February 2016 from a man who left it running while he went into a restaurant to pick up food.

Before that, in December 2015, Dyment was charged in connection with crashing a stolen Angry Orchard delivery truck into the side of a barn in Limerick. Police at the time said the vehicle had been stolen in Portland. Dyment told police she was drunk and high on heroin.

Records on the state Department of Corrections website indicate Dyment remains on probation for a Cumberland County theft conviction.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

AUGUSTA

Tuesday at 10:10 a.m., at least one person was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center after a traffic accident at Church Hill Road and South Belfast Avenue.

1:05 p.m., a person was taken to the hospital after a report of a crash at Western Avenue and Interstate 95.

2:50 p.m., a person whose name was not listed was arrested during a motor vehicle stop at State and Oak streets.

3:04 p.m., a Western Avenue caller reported theft.

4:26 p.m., a Bridge Street caller reported suspicious activity.

Wednesday at 1:01 a.m., one person was taken to the hospital after a request from an Oxford Street caller to check the welfare of a person.

GARDINER

Tuesday at 5:10 p.m., a Chestnut Street caller reported a burglary.

Wednesday at 6:29 a.m., a Marston Road caller reported an unspecified offense.

HALLOWELL

Tuesday at 8:40 p.m., a person whose name was not listed was arrested during a traffic stop at Winthrop Street and Overlook Drive.

WINTHROP

Monday at 5:39 p.m., a Squire Court caller reported harassment.

ARRESTS

AUGUSTA

Tuesday at 9:21 a.m., Hannah M. Tranten, 25, of Kingfield, was arrested on a warrant at the Augusta Police Department, on Union Street.

5:45 p.m., Nathan L. Reed, 34, of Waterville, was arrested at State and Bridge streets on a charge of violating probation after police responded to a report of a traffic hazard and took a person to the hospital.

A former Catholic priest who was at the center of the Boston church sex-abuse scandal has been indicted on 29 counts of sexual abuse in Maine dating back three decades.

The indictments against Ronald Paquin were handed down Tuesday by a York County grand jury. Paquin is accused of abusing two boys whom he brought from Massachusetts to Kennebunkport in the late 1980s.

Paquin pleaded guilty in 2002 to repeatedly raping a Haverhill, Massachusetts, altar boy from 1989 to 1992. The rapes began when the boy was 12.

Paquin was laicized – removed from the priesthood – in 2002 and was jailed on the rape charges from 2002 until 2015.

Kennebunkport Police Chief Craig Sanford said the Maine cases were referred to his department by the state Attorney General’s Office, which was approached by one of the alleged victims in 2011. Sanford said the acts reportedly occurred at a “seasonal location,” but neither he nor Kathryn Slattery, the York County district attorney, would provide any more details. The dates in the indictment range from Nov. 1, 1985, to Aug. 20, 1988, and some of the alleged sexual acts occurred when one of the boys was younger than 14.

Sanford said Paquin would bring the boys to Maine “for short-term stays.”

Such out-of-state trips were common among priests who committed sexual abuse, said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston lawyer who represented dozens of victims of sexual abuse by priests in Massachusetts. He said priests would typically befriend the families of boys they wanted to abuse, and then persuade the parents to allow their children to go on out-of-state trips with them.

“It’s not unusual for predators to travel with children,” Garabedian said. “It’s actually very common.”

Garabedian, who represented 12 of Paquin’s victims in lawsuits against the Boston archdiocese, said parents often thought an offer of a trip with a priest was an honor. If a child resisted subsequent trips, he said, the parents would think there was something wrong with their child.

He said there is no one trigger that leads a victim to come forward with allegations of abuse years or decades after the acts.

“Victims will come forward well into their 80s,” he said.

Keith Townsend, who told the Boston Globe on Tuesday that he was one of the victims in the Maine indictment, said he told Maine authorities about Paquin when he heard that the former priest had been released from prison. He told the Globe that Paquin began abusing him when he was 8 or 9 years old, both in Massachusetts and at a camp in Kennebunkport.

“I’m guessing Paquin victims will come forward ad infinitum,” said Robert Hoatson, one of the founders of Road to Recovery, an organization that provides support to survivors of childhood sexual abuse. “The good thing is that they do.”

Paquin’s case was one of those featured in the Academy Award-winning film “Spotlight,” about the Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of sexual abuse of children by priests and the archdiocese’s efforts to cover it up by moving predatory priests from one parish to another.

The Globe reported in October 2015 that after he was released from prison, two medical specialists said Paquin, 72 at the time, no longer met the criteria to be considered sexually dangerous. The paper also said court records indicated that after his release, Paquin would seek treatment in either New York or Massachusetts and eventually move to Maine, where he would also seek sex offender treatment.

It’s not known where Paquin is now. The indictment lists his address as a treatment center in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, that’s connected to the state prison there, but officials said he was released from the facility in 2015 and they don’t have any updated information on where he is living now.

There were reports that he was living in a Boston shelter for homeless men, but calls to the shelter were not returned Wednesday.

Sanford said Maine will issue a warrant for Paquin’s arrest that will be turned over to a unit of the Massachusetts State Police that deals with sex offenders.

Slattery said officials will seek to have Paquin extradited to Maine for an arraignment, but no date has been set.

Slattery said the state removed its statute of limitations on cases of sexual abuse of minors in 1991. The law allowed cases that had occurred from 1985 on to be prosecuted whenever they were presented, she said.

Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:

emurphy@pressherald.com

IN ANSON, Tuesday at 12:12 p.m., an erratic vehicle was reported on River Road.

IN CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Tuesday at 3:56 p.m., theft or fraud was reported on Grand Summit Lane.

IN CLINTON, Tuesday at 12:16 p.m., harassment was reported on Horseback Road.

IN FAIRFIELD, Tuesday at 4:32 p.m., shoplifting was reported on Main Street.

Wednesday at 8:22 a.m., a call about a fire was taken on Norridgewock Road.

9:20 a.m., a bail violation was reported on Cardinal Drive.

IN JACKMAN, Wednesday at 9:21 a.m., a vehicle fire was reported on Johns Street.

IN JAY, Tuesday at 11:25 p.m., a vehicle fire was reported on Lomie Rivers Road.

IN MADISON, 11:42 a.m., domestic disturbance was reported on Madison Avenue.

Wednesday at 10:03 a.m., theft was reported on Old Point Avenue.

IN OAKLAND, Tuesday at 11:10 a.m., an unwanted person was reported on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

IN PALMYRA, Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., a scam complaint was taken on Warren Hill Road.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Tuesday at 12:16 p.m., a complaint was taken on Main Street.

2:58 p.m., a scam was reported on Industrial Park Road.

4:21 p.m., theft was reported on West Front Street.

Wednesday at 4:55 a.m., a chimney fire was reported on Maple Street.

IN WATERVILLE, Tuesday at 8:09 a.m., a fire call was taken on Main Street.

12:58 p.m., an unwanted person was reported on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

1:22 p.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Elm Street.

2:08 p.m., a domestic dispute was reported on College Avenue.

4:08 p.m., a domestic dispute was reported on College Avenue.

4:25 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

5:19 p.m., threatening was reported on College Avenue.

5:51 p.m., threatening was reported on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

9:35 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

11:01 p.m., an unwanted person was reported on Main Street.

Wednesday at 12:12 a.m., a noise complaint was taken on Silver Street.

1:38 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

IN WILTON, Tuesday at 12:10 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Pleasant Street.

IN WINSLOW, Tuesday at 7:04 p.m., harassment was reported on Benton Avenue.

ARRESTS

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Tuesday, Tasha Sampson, 31, of Livermore Falls, was arrested on a charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Tuesday at 9:14 a.m., Richard Roy, 40, of Cornville, was arrested on a charge of being a fugitive from justice from New York.

11:33 a.m., Nicole Lynn Tucker, 41, of Plymouth, was arrested on a charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

1:03 p.m., David Paul Garceau, 48, of Fairfield, was arrested on a charge of operating under the influence.

3:24 p.m., Rashard Maurice Perkins, 31, of Fairfield, was arrested on a charge of violation of probation.

5:06 p.m., Nathan Andrew Rasmussen, 22, of Fairfield, was arrested on a warrant.

5:09 p.m., Angelia Violette, 26,, of Fairfield, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.

7:38 p.m., Leslie Faye Ware, 41, of Fairfield, was arrested on charges of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and violating conditions of release.

IN WATERVILLE, Tuesday at 3:09 p.m., James Laverpool, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested on a charge of operating without a license.

4:52 p.m., Zachery Brouillet, 24, of Waterville, was arrested on a warrant.

8:02 p.m., Richard Fraser, 23, of Waterville, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence criminal mischief.

AUGUSTA — A Clinton man who drove away from his home last August before police got there in response to a report of a family argument pleaded guilty Wednesday to domestic violence criminal threatening.

Joseph Gagnon, 32, was sentenced to serve an initial 45 days of a 364-day sentence during a hearing at the Capital Judicial Center. The remainder of the time was suspended, and Gagnon was placed on probation for two years with conditions banning him from possessing or using alcohol and illegal drugs. Gagnon also was ordered to attend a Certified Batterer Intervention program.

While the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Michael Madigan, sought to prohibit direct contact between Gagnon and the woman who called for help, the judge allowed it.

The woman told Justice William Stokes at Wednesday’s hearing that she did not feel that either she or her daughter were in danger from Gagnon.

She said she wanted to be able to have contact and to see that Gagnon received help for a heroin problem.

“I’m going to allow contact,” Stokes said. “I’m going to respect your wishes.”

Gagnon’s attorney, John O’Donnell, also spoke in favor of allowing direct contact.

At the time of the offense, Aug. 25, 2016, then-Kennebec County Sheriff Ryan Reardon said Gagnon was described by the woman as having been drinking and saying he would “take her down and anyone else who come inside the house.” And when Gagnon was asked if he was suicidal, he reportedly replied that he wanted “to end it.”

Gagnon also allegedly threatened the woman and girl.

Gagnon turned himself in at the Clinton Police Department several hours after police started looking for him.

Gagnon also pleaded guilty to a charge of violating conditions of release that occurred Jan. 25-31, 2017.

Madigan said Gagnon had two prior drug convictions and a terrorizing conviction.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

A Minot man has been sentenced to 7½ years in prison on drug and gun charges.

Ross Tardif, 30, was also sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and cocaine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Tardif pleaded guilty to the charges in June.

According to authorities, police got a call in August 2014 reporting a home invasion at Tardif’s house. Tardif wasn’t home at the time, but police found more than 375 grams of cocaine, more than 650 oxycodone pills and marijuana in the house. Tardif arrived home after the drugs were seized and told police he was involved in distributing the drugs.

The investigation revealed that Tardif had been buying the drugs in New York for at least two years and distributing them in Lewiston and Auburn. He also bought a gun for protection while dealing drugs, leading to the firearms charge.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive and Maine State Police.

AUGUSTA — A former Farmingdale man charged with robbery in connection with a Manchester home invasion two years ago was convicted Wednesday of lesser charges related to the same event.

Joshua R. Lemar, 34, now of Gardiner, entered an Alford guilty plea to charges of aggravated criminal trespass and theft by unauthorized taking, both of which occurred Jan. 10, 2015, in Manchester.

Lemar’s attorney, Lisa Whittier, specified at the hearing at the Capital Judicial Center that it was an Alford plea because the defense does not agree with all the aspects of the state’s evidence but understood he could be convicted if a jury believed it.

The case was scheduled for jury selection Friday. However, Lemar opted for the plea deal, and Justice William Stokes imposed the sentence recommended by the attorneys that called for Lemar to serve 14 months and 20 days in jail — essentially the amount of time he’s been held — with the remainder of the 33 months suspended and one year of probation.

Lemar was expected to be released Wednesday because he has been in jail since his arrest in November 2015.

The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Alisa Ross, described the home invasion, saying three people armed with a shotgun, a gas can and a utility knife entered the home, pointed the shotgun at the floor and tied up the man and woman inside with an extension cord and rope. Ross said that the intruders all wore black clothing and had their faces covered, and two of them referred to themselves at times as “Josh” and “Jake.”

They demanded money and took cash, a camera and a telephone and left in the female resident’s vehicle.

Tips led police to Lemar, and he was arrested two days later when police located a bag with 1 pound of marijuana concealed in a grill.

A police report also indicated that marijuana leaves were found in the vehicle when it was located, so police reinterviewed the victims six days later when they said the intruders had demanded money and marijuana from the most recent harvest. The marijuana had been packed in 1-quart plastic bags, the same as the marijuana found in the grill.

The male victim told police he had told Lemar about harvesting the marijuana.

Phone records indicated Lemar was trying to sell pot for $100 an ounce and indicated he had a pound of it available.

Lemar was ordered to pay $200 restitution for the phone, which was not recovered.

No one else was ever charged in the case.

Lemar was on probation at the time of the offenses, and seven months of that probation was later revoked.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

PITTSFIELD — Authorities are working to identify a suspect or suspects in an arson fire that damaged part of an empty factory building Wednesday afternoon.

A passer-by reported the fire at the former San Antonio Shoe factory around 2:40 p.m., Pittsfield Fire Chief Bernard Williams said Thursday.

The Office of State Fire Marshal believes the fire was set intentionally, according to Sgt. Ken Grimes.

Grimes said his office finished the scene investigation but still is working to identify who might be responsible for the fire.

The fire started in the section of factory that connected the old building — the former Waverly Woolen Mill — with the new one, which is a corridor shaped like an L, Williams said. The factory has been vacant for years and has no power or heat, he said, so there is no other apparent cause.

“There was nothing in there to start the fire,” he said.

The firefighters were able to contain the fire and damage to that area and stopped it from burning through the roof, Williams said.

“The boys did an excellent job,” he said.

The fire was doused in about 20 minutes, though the department stayed until 6:30 p.m. to check the area and assist the fire marshal’s office.

The Detroit, Hartland, St. Albans and Newport fire departments assisted with the fire suppression. The town’s highway crew was also a “great assistance,” Williams said, as it plowed a road up to the burning section of the building so a firetruck could get in.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour